where i {should} walk {more often}

I’m a reluctant exerciser. I’m so reluctant, in fact, that I don’t. Exercise, that is.

But I really need to. It’s good for my health. It’s good for my heart. And if that isn’t motivation enough, it’s good for my legs and waistline. Diet alone no longer yields the results I aspire to yield …

So I’m going to start. Exercising, that is. And I’ll start with some baby steps: walking.

Just leave your purse at home or you might find your walk bogged down with heavy shopping bags …

… and a very light wallet.

Millennium Park? You have a giant reflective bean, a fountain people are encouraged to splash around in and an outdoor Pavilion with free concerts …

… but on a warm, sunny day you may find your brisk walk reduced to a crawl behind the hoards of tourists who flock there.

Now, in my very own personal opinionated opinion, the best place to walk in Chicago is along the lakefront. There are miles upon miles of paths …

… with my favorite walking path found along Montrose Harbor.

At this time of the year, it truly lifts my heart to see the boats returning to their moorings …

It signals the official end of winter for me.

And then, as I walk, there’s the amazing Chicago skyline on my right …

… and cherry blossoms blooming on my left …

Oh, and I can’t overlook the geese …

… who decided to hop up onto the dock …

… and proceeded to groom themselves …

… as they got ready for their close-up …

Uh oh …

… now they’re getting a little too close for that close-up.

This walker is backing up and turning around and picking up her pace. Okay, more like sprinting back to her car …

The one thing missing from this post are the sounds. The sounds of the calls of those geese and the cries of the seagulls …

… and the quacks of the ducks …

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were at the ocean, not a lake.

Although, the noise is pretty loud. If only I had an iPod Shuffle to drown out all those calls and cries and quacks …

.. oh, wait …

… maybe I can rectify that issue by entering the Walk It. Pin It. Win It. sweepstakes going on over at the American Heart Association (you can read more at www.swavolunteer.blogspot.com). Five iPod Shuffles with $25 iTunes gift cards up for grabs. All you need to do is pin a photo of where you walk and you’ll be entered into a random drawing.

Here’s how it all works …

1. Take a walk and snap a pic of your favorite path.

2. Pin it on your Pinterest account and add #walkit in the description. Then leave a comment on the contest post on their blog (www.swavolunteer.blogspot.com) – or, if you’re on Twitter, you can tweet them with your username @heartsouth — and they’ll find you and re-pin it on their Walk It board.

3. You’ll be eligible to win one of five prize packages (iPod Shuffle-4th generation and a $25 iTunes gift card to buy some new walking tunes!).

P.S. I wrote this post out of the goodness of my very own heart. This is not a paid endorsement from the American Heart Association. I in no way benefit from this post. In fact, it’s the polar opposite. By sharing this contest with you all I’m actually hurting my own chances of winning one of those coveted five iPods Shuffles with those $25 iTunes gift cards …

I have only seen Chicago from the air, but it looks like a nice city. I have their airport memorized as I spent many hours there on my way to Houston to visit my sister. A bit windy, but we get those winds about an hour or two after Chicago. Yes, the lakes are large and the only one I have never seen is Lake Huron. Lot’s of history here. .Glad you are exercising now. I have to get moving, too….. and soon.

I *heart* Chicago and love walking all the way down to the river (at the Wrigley building) and back to the big-a$$ stores. I saw Thistle’s call to show where I walk, but I walk all over the ‘hood…and can go ten or fifteen different routes. I’m going to post mine tomorrow when I do House Stalker and show all my little routes!

I love Chicago!! It’s my favorite city in the U.S. I was based there when I was a Flight Attendant for United for 15 years. The hubs and I have an annual pilgrimage to downtown Chicago every December, to get this midwestern girl a dose of Winter Wonderland. Love the way they light up the magnificent mile! We have lived in California for the last 12 years. (SO NOT Christmas-y!!!) I love the way Chicago looks in the spring and summer too! You have a fabulous city to walk in! Stay away from those crazy geese! xo-Lisa

I love your Chicago pics! We always try to walk along the lakefront early in the morning when we visit downtown. My sil and i have met a couple of times for the symphony on Wednesday in the summer. Free, smaller crowds, beautiful music! Love it. Have a blessed day! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your comment made me laugh!

🙂 YOU. HAVE. THE. BEST. WALK. EVER.!!!!!!!!!! So so soooo jealous that you can just stroll around Chicago without traveling, getting confused by GPS instructions, and parking {which I always end up paying a million dollars for}….all of the above happened to me the last time I took a walk in Chicago! You are one lucky gal! 🙂Jaime from crafty scrappy happy

This TOTALLY inspired me… I went for a walk today. I took my camera. I have a post planning to post for tomorrow. I have had 3 heart surgeries… one was very serious. My dad has severe heart failure…. so does his twin brother.

find me on instagram

my etsy shop

top posts & pages

pinspiration

features & press

the other blog

blog archives

blog archives

If you would like to feature a post from It All Started With Paint, you may use one picture and a clear link back to the project. You may not use more than one picture or use my pictures and content to create (or recreate) my tutorial. If you have any questions, please email me at linda@zbraden.com.

It All Started With Paint copyright 2014. Built on Wordpress. Customized by NellieBellie